Exclusive: Anthony Mackie talks Falcon

While promoting his latest film, Gangster Squad, which hits today, Anthony Mackie spoke to Blackfilm.com about some of his upcoming films, including playing the comic book character Falcon in the upcoming sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Coming out on April 4, 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier picks up where the highly anticipated “Marvel’s The Avengers” leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.

What was the attraction to playing the Falcon?

Anthony Mackie: Everything I go see the comic book movie and I have a 3 year-old son and he’s always telling me he wants to Spider-Man or Captain America. It’s unfair for little black kids not to have a superhero to look up to. When I got the call about the Falcon that was a no brainer. I feel that this is for a whole generation who has the opportunity to know a superhero like we did. We grew up with Spawn and Meteor Man. Every kid had a pot or can and thought they were Meteor Man, so I’m excited for a bunch of kids to say that I’m the Falcon.

Growing up, did you know a lot about the Falcon?

AM: The Falcon was a short-lived comic book series. If you look at the time in which they introduced the Falcon and what they were trying to do with him, it was an interesting cool character that wasn’t executed well at all. That’s why when the comic book died, they re-introduced him as a Robin to Captain America’s Batman, just to re-spark the life of the character. It’s one of those things where if you are not a real comic book fan and it was short-lived, you wouldn’t know who he was; whereas Black Panther had a long run with an individual comic book.